The Mets faced the Houston Astros in the 1986 NL Championship Series.
Game One was a pitcher’s duel, with 1985 Cy Young Award winner Dwight Gooden starting for the Mets and 1986 Cy Young Award winner Mike Scott going for the Astros. Scott pitched a complete game, allowing only five hits and no runs while striking out 14 batters. Gooden pitched seven innings, allowing only one run, a solo home run. The Mets had a chance to tie the game in the top of the ninth inning. But with one out and Strawberry on second base, Scott retired the next two batters.
Bob Ojeda in 1986 (photo courtesy Centerfield Maz)
Bob Ojeda started for the Mets in Game Two and pitched a complete game. Ojeda allowed ten hits but only one run. The Mets scored five runs off starter Nolan Ryan. Wally Backman, Strawberry, Carter, and Hernandez drove in all five runs.
In Game Three, starter Ron Darling was roughed up in the first two innings, allowing four runs, but he settled down to pitch three scoreless frames. Still, the Mets trailed 4–0 after five complete innings. The Mets finally scored a run in the bottom of the sixth, and then Strawberry blasted a three-run shot to tie the game. The Astros came back in the top of the seventh to regain the lead, 5–4. Jesse Orosco pitched the final two innings for the Mets, allowing no runs. The Mets were down to their last two outs in the bottom of the ninth when Lenny Dykstra hit a two-run home run, giving the Mets a hard-fought 6–5 victory.
Mike Scott was dominant again in Game Four, throwing another complete game and allowing just three hits and one run. Mets starter Sid Fernandez allowed only four hits but gave up two home runs. The Astros won 3–1, tying the series at two games apiece.
Game Five was a classic pitcher’s duel. In the top of the second, the Astros had runners on first and third with no outs, but Dwight Gooden escaped the jam and allowed no runs. Astros starter Nolan Ryan pitched equally well, and the game remained scoreless after four full innings. The Astros took a 1–0 lead in the top of the fifth, but Darryl Strawberry tied it with a solo home run. Ryan and Gooden kept the game scoreless for the next four innings, and the game went into extra innings. Ryan was finally relieved, while Gooden pitched through the tenth. The Mets had runners on first and second with one out in the 12th. Gary Carter, in a bad slump, was 1 for 21 in the series, but he came through, singled to center, and drove in the winning run.
With the Mets leading the series three games to two, they returned to Houston. The Mets needed to win Game Six to avoid facing Mike Scott in Game Seven. Scott had dominated the Mets all season, and most of the Mets players admitted they didn’t want to face him again.
Bob Ojeda started for the Mets, and the Astros got to him early, scoring three runs in the first inning. But the unshaken Ojeda pitched five more innings and allowed no additional runs. Astros starter Bob Knepper pitched brilliantly, allowing no runs through eight full innings. The Mets finally got to him in the top of the ninth. First, Lenny Dykstra tripled off him, and then Mookie Wilson drove him in with a single. Next, Hernandez doubled to score Wilson, knocking Knepper out of the game. After Strawberry and Carter drew walks, Ray Knight hit a sacrifice fly to tie the game.
Roger McDowell in 1986 (photo courtesy Mets Insider Blog)
The game went into extra innings, with neither team scoring until the 14th inning. Roger McDowell pitched five scoreless innings for the Mets. The Mets scored a run in the top of the 14th to take a 4–3 lead, but Billy Hatcher hit a solo homer to tie it again. Neither team scored in the 15th inning. In the top of the 16th, Strawberry doubled and was driven in by Ray Knight, and then Knight scored after two wild pitches. The Mets added another run to take a seemingly comfortable 7–4 lead. But the Astros would not go down without a fight, scoring two runs to tighten the gap to 7–6. With the winning run on first base and two outs, Jesse Orosco struck out the final batter to send the Mets to their first World Series since 1973.
In an interview, Orosco said Keith Hernandez went to the mound before the last at-bat and told him, “If you throw another fastball, we are going to fight.” The game took 4 hours and 42 minutes to complete and is still regarded as one of the greatest games in MLB history.
Win or lose the World Series, it had been a magnificent season for the Mets, but as had happened too often during the season, the Mets crossed the line when it came to rowdy behavior. On the flight back to New York, the Mets partied to excess, and United Airlines billed them $7,500 for damages.
